Alvin Bloomfield
Corporal Alvin "Brooklyn" Bloomfield was an American soldier of "Fox Company" of the 1st Infantry Divsion during World War II under the command of Sergeants Hawkins and Roger. Bloomfield was one of the side characters in Call of Duty 2: Big Red One. He is one of the few major NPCs in Roland's squad to get killed. Due to his popularity, he is often regarded as having one of the saddest deaths. Biography Despite his nickname, "Brooklyn", Bloomfield grew up in the Bronx. Alvin Bloomfield is the youngest of a Jewish family where his mother kept the house while his father ran a deli back home. He was a huge baseball fan and would actually skip school whenever possible to watch his hero Joe DiMaggio play ball. He also worked as a shoe shiner at his girlfriend's dad's business before the war, later saying he would rather stay in the war than go back, claiming "you see some nasty things taking off peoples' shoes all day". He once said to Denley that his dad can make "the best pastrami sandwich you'll ever eat", to which Denley replied "Brooklyn, you ain't quite right." Alvin Bloomfield admits he "don't got the smarts" and enlisted so he wouldn't have to go to college. At first, he wanted to join the Army Air Corps, but he was too short, and couldn't. North Africa Brooklyn was first seen as a Private in the North African campaign in a squad led by Sgt. Glenn "Hawk" Hawkins, and consisting of himself, Pvt. Roland Roger, Pvt. Stephen Kelly, and Pvt. Victor "Vic" Denley. While in the halftrack, he was stating that he hadn't eaten since the squad left the ship, and he stated his remark of his dad's sandwich making ability, triggering a retort from Denley. This caused Brooklyn to tease his sister, causing Vic to almost attack him, the only thing stopping him was Hawk restraining him. Brooklyn later stated his desire to leave and see the Yankees game back home, causing Vic to tell him to shut up causing Hawk to tell them to "can it". Suddenly, the soldier manning the machine gun is shot by a sniper, and the group fights French soldiers on their way to the airfield. Some time later, Brooklyn finds a locked door in a room full of shooting French soldiers, and he picks the lock successfully, revealing a closet full of French weapons. Brooklyn is called a moron by Kelly afterward. Much later, he and Roger snipe some French soldiers operating Anti-Aircraft guns. After they are finished, Brooklyn states his desire to give the enemy "a taste of their own medicine". After Rogers shoots down attacking Stukas, Brooklyn proceeds to tell a (probably) bogus story of how he shot down several soldiers by himself, and trying to get Roger to back it up. This does not impress Vic at all, who tells Brooklyn that he is "full of it". For some reason, Brooklyn does not participate in the battle of Kasserine Pass, though, this may be merely because he was in a different part of it. Later, the squad heads up to a village in Kasserine to give cover to some medics there. The group splits up, with Brooklyn, Roger, and Kelly going to the main intersection, and Hawk and Vic going to another part of the village. After a fierce firefight, Brooklyn, Roger, and Kelly meet up with Hawk and Vic, where they clear two houses before Hawk is shot just outside of one of them. Brooklyn tells Roger to pick up a medic they saw earlier to help Hawk. The medic is killed, but Roger manages to save Hawk. Much later, the medics have cleared out, and Brooklyn, exclaims that "this crappy mudpit is ours". Unfortunately, a panzer rolls up and forces the group to fall back to a halftrack, fighting Germans along the way. They then escape from the village. Sicily Some time later, the group heads up to Gela in a DUKW where Vic complains about it's speed, making Brooklyn tell Vic he should be happy that it floats. Later, the squad fights through the beachhead and finds a highly fortified area. Brooklyn throws a smoke grenade to provide some cover, and the group kills the Italian soldiers in the area. Brooklyn later sees a plane crashing in the distance, and he relents how brutal the soldiers on the plane will die. Some time afterwards, the group defends the remaining soldiers from the plane, and manage to defend the area until the Italians retreat. Later, in Piano Lupo, Brooklyn is once again telling his bogus story to a radio operator named McCord, but this time, it is even more bogus, with Brooklyn stating that he shot down an ''entire platoon. ''This obviously does not impress Vic, nor does it seem to impress Hawk, either, and Brooklyn once again tries to get Roger to back him up. When the Stuka's attack, Brooklyn, Hawk, and a radio operator, McCord, get out of the area on a jeep, while Roger and Vic defend the supplies and artillery from attacking Stukas. They later meet, and fight through numerous Italians, until they come across an entire convoy, which they promptly call artillery support on. Later, they come upon a medic who they cover until he manages to reach a group of soldiers from the 82nd. The medic stays, while the group, and a petty officer radio op named Mangin, fight their way to some bunkers. The door was jammed, so Brooklyn promptly breaks in. After the tanks are destroyed, Roger is promoted to Corporal. Brooklyn later participates in the Battle of Troina, where he is talking to Kelly and Vic about the battle and Hawk. When Kelly complains about Hawk's claims, Brooklyn tells him that if it wasn't for Hawk they wouldn't be alive "so clam up and enjoy the ride". Vic states his agreement with Brooklyn for once, but before they could finish their conversation, the tank they were riding on gets destroyed, though they all get off it in time. Unfortunately, Brooklyn later bears witness to the death of Vic in the street, which he mournfully called a selfish mean-spirited bulldog, and the toughest soldier they had. After Vic's death, he, along with Kelly gets promoted to Corporal, as well. Europe The squad later joins up with the rest of the division in the assault of Omaha Beach in D-Day, joined by Vic's replacement, Pvt. John Jackson "Schmitty" Smith, whom Brooklyn initially treats with the same usual disdain as veterans do with replacements. When the ship gets hit, Roger is knocked unconscious, and Brooklyn helps Roger get into a life raft heading to the beach. After they get off the beach, the squad encounters a FlaK 88, which Brooklyn promptly destroys with a sticky grenade after the Germans were killed. Roger is presumably promoted to Sergeant after the events. In Maubeuge, Brooklyn meets Pvt. Andy Allen, who he treats with the typical treatment of replacements. Later, when Roger was blown off by mortar fire, Brooklyn comes over to help, and he is last seen trying to get a medic over before Roger loses consciousness. Brooklyn is later seen greeting Roger after the latter recovers, and joins the group in attacking the town of Mons. Kelly tells Brooklyn his desire for Brooklyn to be in the hospital, just for Kelly to get a break from Brooklyn's wisecracks. Brooklyn then answers back, saying jokingly that he preferred a hospital bed over the others ("besides, what lovely nurse could refuse my obvious charms?") At some point, Brooklyn asks bluntly why the army was always counting on them to do crucial tasks, to which Hawk answered loudly in his face that it was because they were the infantry and "God loves the infantry". He later bears witness to Hawk being wounded (again), and after the group defeats the Germans in the area, Brooklyn assures the rest of the group that Hawk will pull through, although Hawk is never seen again in the game. Brooklyn does not participate in the taking of Crucifix Hill, but he is mentioned by Schmitty as saying that the US Army consists of the Big Red One, and ten million replacements. By that time still a Corporal, Brooklyn is later seen with the group joined by Capt. Norman Delaney in a village covered in snow, where they fight several Germans. Brooklyn and the others later steal a German Panzer to battle some enemy tanks all the way to the train station until they run out of gas. Death At the Siegfried Line, while pushing through snowy woods, and destroying mass numbers of German MG42 bunkers, the squad continues on toward the Dragon's Teeth, a set of evenly spaced concrete teeth covered heavily by German fire. However, they are stopped when a barbed-wire obstacle blocks the path to the teeth. Brooklyn anxiously leads the squad toward it, while he uses wire cutters to free the path. A quote from an earlier level is placed over, and Brooklyn is heard saying, "I think I might actually make it home from this lousy war." Although this statement is contradicted after German mortar fire strikes the area around the now-fleeing Brooklyn. He gets hit, sent into the air and down on his face, where he lays, confirmed dead. Personality and Appearance Brooklyn was of average build, had brownish-red hair, and was slightly freckled. He acts as the comic relief of the squad and he seems to be a bit full of himself, as he repeatedly tries to tell a bogus story that is more bogus every time he tells it. Brooklyn also seems to have a good friendship with fellow squad member Roland Roger, as seen in a few levels. Brooklyn is well known for being a big baseball fan, as well, and once suggested that he get out of the war to see a Yankees game where he got box seats. He is also well known for having a slightly antagonistic relationship with fellow member Victor Denley, with which he has several arguments with, but when Denley is killed, Brooklyn seems to be affected greatly. He is also typically hard on replacements, as seen on his treatment of Andy Allen, and, initially, Schmitty. Trivia *Brooklyn is voiced by actor Frank John Hughes, who is most famous for playing Staff Sergeant William "Wild Bill" Guarnere in the TV miniseries Band of Brothers. *Alvin keeps a picture of his hero, Joe DiMaggio on the outside of his helmet (it was said it was a girl or "Eight of Spades", but if you look closely, it appears to be a baseball player). *He is also always seen with a pair of binoculars around his neck. *A common joke in the game was that Sgt. Hawkins will call Bloomfield "Brooklyn" and he (Brooklyn) would try and correct him on the mistake that he's from the Bronx. *He is the last squad member to die. *When the artillery barrage kills Bloomfield, he seems to break his arms once he hits the ground. *A video showing Bloomfield's death is located here. See Also Roland Roger Stephen Kelly Glenn Hawkins Victor Denley John Jackson Smith References Bloomfield, Alvin Bloomfield, Alvin Bloomfield, Alvin Bloomfield, Alvin